Traverse mechanism for draperies and curtains



Nov. 17, 1964 E. FREYDBERG ETAL 3,157,225

TRAVERSE MECHANISM FOR DRAPERIES AND CURTAINS Filed March 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Eu. FEEYDBEEG.

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1954 E. FREYDBERG ETAL 3,157,225

TRAVERSE MECHANISM F OR DRAPERIES AND CURTAINS Filed March 29. 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. /2 1 Fee-mazes.

United States Patent 3,157,225 TRAVERSE MEQHANISM FOR DRAPERIES AND CURTAINS Eli Freydberg, Harrison, and Alfred Heyrn, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignors to Conso Products, inc. Filed Mar. 29, 1957, Ser. No. 649,362

' 4 Qlairns. (Cl. 169-345) The present invention relates to a certain new and useful tubular traverse rod for draperies, curtains or the like, whereby a round rod-like support with surrounding rings riding thereon may be operated by pull-cords so as to move the lead-ring to and fro to open or close the curtain or drape.

Round curtain-rods or drapery-supporting rods of substantial diameter (an inch or more), with curtain or drapery suspending rings surrounding the rod, have been used both with and without pull-cord arrangements for operating the lead ring. When used without any pullcords, the curtain or drapery had to be opened or closed by merely grasping the edge of the curtain or drapery and moving it to one side or the other. When used with pull-cord arrangements, the horizontal portions of the pull-cords as well as the sheaves over which they run, as well as the cord-anchorages by which the lead ring was connected to the cord, were exposed, or on the outside of the round curtain-rod.

Attempts to make a round rod-like curtain or drapery suspending rod with surrounding rings operated by concealed traverse cords and mechanism, have not been prac tical.

The object of the present invention is a round or other shaped drapery or curtain rod of substantial cross-sectional dimension or dimensions having the appearance of being a large solid rod, with rings surrounding such rod and riding thereon, with the curtain or drapery hung from the lower periphery of the rings, and in which such rod is hollow or tubular, and in which the traverse cords and mechanism are disposed and concealed within the hollow rod without any slide or equivalent device visible, and without any cord-engaging means (intermediate the ring and hidden cord) visible.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawings, the present invention includes a pair of telescopically inter-engaged coaxial tubes, each slitted at the top from its telescoped end to a point short of its outer end, and with the slits in the overlapped or telescoped portions of the two tubes in registration with each other, and means disposed in the telescoped zone of the tubes for securing them and for preventing the collapse of the tubes at the slits, namely, to keep the slits open to their predetermined width, a cord-anchorage atfixed to the top of the inner periphery of the lead-ring or rings and extending through the slits at the top of the rod into the interior thereof and adjustably engaging the traverse cords within the rod, and an enlarged opening at the top of each tube (constituting the rod) near the outer end thereof and formed in continuation of the slit, through which the cord-anchorage may be lifted out of and inserted into the rod while the rod is in its assembled condition, namely, while the rod has its two telescoped tubes clamped to each other in a predetermined fixed position or at a predetermined rod-length, whereby the position of the cord-anchorages in relation to the traverse cords may be adjusted, so that the two lead-rings or the two pairs of lead-rings will be brought to the center or closed position simultaneously by the pull of the closing cord and will be brought to their outer or open position simultaneously by the pull of the opening cord. The present invention further includes other features of construction, all as will appear more fully hereinafter- In the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts:

FIGURE 1 represents a front elevational view of a drapery or curtain rod embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 2 represents a similar elevational view of the same, with the curtain or drapery shown thereon.

FIGURE 3 represents a top plan view of the curtainrod of the present invention.

FIGURE 4 represents a section on line 44 of FIG- URE 3, on an enlarged scale.

FlGURE 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of FIG- URE 4.

FiGURE 6 represents a section on line 6-6 of FIG- I URE 1.

FIGURE 7 represents an elevational view, partly in section, on line '77 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 represents a section on line 88 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 9 represents an elevational View, partly in section, on line 9-? of FEGURE 8.

FIGURE 10 represents a bottom plan view on line iii-19 of FIGURE 1.

According to the present invention, the rod is composed of a pair of tubes 11 and i2 telescoped over each other a variable amount, according to the length to which the rod is to be set (according to the width of the window or other expanse to be spanned by the curtain or drapery).

The inner diameter of one of the tubes (as for instance, tube 12) is made generally equal to the outer diameter of the other tube (as for instance, the tube 11) so that the one tube may be telescoped into the other with a neat sliding fit.

These two tubes are preferably made of brass or any other material, as, for instance, aluminum, stainless steel or plated or otherwise finished steel.

Siits or slots 13 and 1d are cut or otherwise formed in or through the tops of the tubes 11 and 2 .2, from the free ends 15 and 16 thereof to points designated by the numerals 1'7 and 18, at which the wider elongated anchorage openings 19 and 2d are formed in alignment with and as continuations of the slits 13 and 14.

The slits or slots 13 and 14 may be of comparatively narrow width, as, for instance, of an inch, or of an inch, or of an inch (more or less), just sulficiently wide to clear the cord-anchorages 21 and 22, which may be comparatively thin plates of steel, brass or the like, of a thickness (as indicated in FIGURE 5) such as to fit within the slits or slots 13 and 11.4 with a sliding clearance.

The access openings 19 and 20 are of a width sufiiciently great to clear not only the cord-anchorages 21 and 22, but also two thicknesses of the cord 23. This width of the openings 19 and 29 may vary slightly according to the firmness of the cords, but (preferably) the width should be sutlicient to permit the cord-anchorages (21 and 22) to be freely moved up and down through the openings (19 and 20) while the cord 23 is interlockingly laced therethrough in the manner indicated in FIG- URES 4 and 5. 1

ley support is secured, as indicated in FIGURES 7 and 6 (and in FIGURES l to 3). In one of the two tubes (as, for instance, the tube 12) a double sheave-support 25 is provided, while in the other tube (ii) a single sheavesupport 24 is provided.

Beneath the sheaves or pulleys 27 and 28 a cord-opening 31 is provided in the bottom of the tube 12 for the passage'of the two pendant pull-portions 23a and 23-h of the traverse rod 23, as indicated in FIGURE 7.

In the sheave-support 24- a single sheave 26 is provided over which the cord 23'is looped in the manner indicated inFIGURE 7. The sheaves are supported their respective supports by means of pivot pins 29 and 30. Each of the sheave supports is secured in place by means of screws 32 and 33, respectively, extending through the wall of the respective tube and threaded into a threaded hole in the sheave-support as indicated in FIGURES 6 and 7.

sheave-support is disposed with the axis of its pivot in a horizontal position. The sheave-support 24 may be similarly disposed, as indicated in FIGURE 7, or it may be disposed at 90 to the position shown in FIG- URE 7, namely, with the axis of its pivot 29 disposed horizontally, so that the two spans 23-a and 23-b of the cord 23 will be at the same level in the zone of the sheave 26 (rather than as indicated in FIGURE 7).

At or near the outer ends of the tubes 11 and 12, brackets 34 and 35 are provided in the manner indicated particularly in FIGURES 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7, whereby the outer ends of the tubes may be secured to the wall or other supporting surface 44. Each bracket (34 and 35) preferably includes an upper member 36 and a lower member 37, and a generally circular tube-embracing socket-like portion 38 which may be formed as a continuation of either one or the other of the members 36 and 37, as indicated in FIGURE 6, with the two members 36 and 37 secured to each other (by the rivet 39 or by spot-welding or otherwise) at a point where the end of the member (36 or 37) meets and overlaps the tubeembracing member 33.

The tube-embracing member 38 is preferably circular and is preferably somewhat more than half a circle. its outer end 40, a threaded opening 41 is provided, through which a screw 42, having a knurled head 43, is extended, to engage against the side of the tube (11 or 12) above its horizontal median plane, as indicated in FIGURE 6, thereby lockingly to engage the tube and to hold it securely within the socket-like tube-embracing portion or member 33. The bracket 35 may be made of sheet metal or a band of metal, of sufficient thickness and width to provide sufficient rigidity in the bracket and yet to provide sufiicient resiliency between the two sides of the tube-embracing member 38, so that the tube (11 or 12) can be slipped into the socket-like member 38 from above, even if the upper opening or mouth of such socket-like portion is slightly less than the outer diameter of the tube.

At the center of the rod, namely, at the zone of overlap of the two tubes 11 and 12, a combined bracket and tube-lock 45 is provided. The bracket 45 may be similar to the brackets 34 and 35, in having an upper member 46 and a lower member 47 (similar to the members 36 and 37 of the brackets 34 and 35) and may be similarly secured to the wall 44, as indicated in FIGURES 1, 3, 8 and 9.

The central bracket 45 has a tube-embracing portion or member 48 (similar to the member 38 of brackets 34 and 35) formed, however, as a more nearly complete circle, as indicated in FIGURE 8 with a tangent extension 49 thereof overlapping one or the other of the members 46 or 47, and secured thereto by a screw 50 and nut 51 extending through holes in the other members (46 or 47), whereby a tightening of the screw will tighten the band-like tube-embracing member 48 around the outer periphery of the tube 12 and will tighten it against the inner tube 11, so as to tend to lock the two tubes to each other in their set position.

At a point 52 at the top of the tube-embracing member 48 a slot-aligning and slot-spacing key member 53 is provided, permanently aifixed to the inner side of the band 48 (at the point 52), as, for instance, by Welding, soldering or otherwise. Thus, for instance, the key 53 may be formed out of the same material (out of which the band 48 and extension 49 are formed) by punching a key-like tab or tabs out of the sheet-metal (of which the band 48 is formed) and bending it downward or inward to form the key. The thickness or width of a tab (or tabs) 53, viewed in the direction seen in FIGURE 8, is the width to which the opposed edges of the slots 13 and 14 should be spaced. The vertical dimension of the tab or key 53 may be just sufficient to enter through the slot 14 in the outer tube 12 and into the slot 13 of the inner tube 11, thereby keying the two slits to each other to prevent them from getting out of alignment with each other. The tab or key 53 may also be of slightly greater vertical dimension, so as also to enter into the interior of the inner tube 11, and may be provided with slight lateral flanges (not shown) to engage the inner surface of the inner tube 11, adjacent the slot 13 thereof, so that the tab or key 53 (and hence the tube-embracing band 48 and extension 49) will be keyed to the two telescoped tubes and will hold them in place in relation to each other, even before the screw 50 and nut 51 are tightened.

The free rings 55 and 56, as well as the cord-operated lead-rings 57 and 58 and 59 and 60, have an inner diameter, or at least have a vertical inner dimension, such that the difference between such vertical inner dimension and the outer diameter or vertical dimension of the tubes is approximately equal to or slightly greater than the vertical dimension 61 of the cord anchorages 21 and 22, as indicated in FIGURES 4 and 5. This permits the cordanchorages (21 and 22) to be lifted out of the tubes, through the openings 19 and 20, by raising the cordoperated lead-rings (57 and 58 and 59 and 60) upwardly while disposed over the openings 19 and 20.

The lead-rings 57 and 59, and preferably also two of the adjacent lead-rings (as 57 and 58 on the one side and 59 and 60 on the other side), are permanently afiixed to the corresponding cord-anchorages 21 and 22, respectively, at points 61. The anchorages (21 and 22) also serve to hold the lead-rings (57 and 58 and 59 and 60) in spaced relation to each other, as indicated in FIG- URE 4. To the lower portions of the lead-rings, the lead hangers 62 and 63 are secured, either by being welded thereto or by being otherwise secured to the eyelets 64 at the bottoms of the rings (by riveting or by grommets, etc) The free rings (55 and 56) are also provided with the eyelets 64, into which the drapery-supporting hooks extend, for suspending the curtain or drapery.

The drapery-suspending hooks may be of any type desired. Thus where the head of the curtain or drapery is to be pleated, in the manner indicated in FIGURE 2, any multi-finger pleat-retaining and drapery-suspending devices or hooks may be used, as, for instance, like that shown in co'pending application Serial No. 412,282 (filed February 24, 1954), now Patent No. 2,796,928, while single-finger drapery-suspending hooks are used at the unpleated inner and outer ends of each drapery panel. The suspension-hook portions of such single-finger or multi-finger drapery or curtain suspending devices are threaded through the eyelets 64 and/ or through the holes 63 and 69 of the lead-hangers 62 and 63.

The eyelets 64 may either be welded or otherwise affixed to the lower portions or peripheries of the rings (55 and 56, 57 and 58 and 59 and 60), or they may be formed with a ring-engaging or ring-embracing upper eyelet-like portion 65, which may be formed integrally with the eyelet 64, as by being punched out of sheetmetal, integral therewith, as indicated in FIGURE 4, and the ring-engaging eyelet-like portion 65 may be threaded onto the wire or bar stock of which the rings (55 to 60) are made, before the ring is formed or closed or before its meeting ends are secured to or closed in relation to each other. However, the ring-engaging portions 65 may also be formed with an opening or gap therein and the two halves thereof then bent around the wire of the ring (55 to 60) and closed thereabout, to secure the eyelet 64 to the ring.

The lead-hangers 62 and 63 preferably have extensions 66 and 67, which extend beyond the innermost rings 57 and 59, towards each other, and are preferably offset in relation to each other as indicated in FIGURE 10, and

are provided with hook-receiving holes 68 and 69 at their inner ends, into which the innermost hooks (at the innermost ends of the head of each of the drapery or ourtain halves) may be hooked, so that when the curtain or drapery is drawn closed, the inner edge-Zones or marginal-zones of the two halves of the curtain or drapery will overlap each other in the manner indicated in FIG- URE and also indicated in FIGURE 2.

The hooks immediately outward of the inner terminal hooks, are hooked into the eyelets 64 secured to the hangers 62 and d3 beneath the rings 57 and 58 and 59 and 60, respectively. The holes through these particular eyelets also extend through the lead-hangers 62 and 63, in the manner indicated in FIGURES 4 and 5, and these eyelets 64 may be welded to the hangers (62 and 63) or secured thereto by grommets extending therefrom through the holes in the hangers.

Each of the cord-anchorages (21 and 22) is provided with a pair of holes 70 near their outer ends, as indicated in FIGURE 4, through which the cord 23 is permanently laced, and are provided with a pair of slots or recesses 71 near their centers (opening out into either the lower or upper edge of the anchor), into which the cord 23 may be placed in a loop-like formation, thereby to lock the cord to the anchor.

When the cord is not in the recesses '71, it may be moved through the holes 70, so as to adjust the position of the anchors along the cord. However, when the anchor has been brought to the desired position along the cord, a loop of the cord is looped through the two recesses '71, to one side of the tongue-like portion 72 between the recesses 71. The width of the recesses '71 is just suflicient to accommodate the cord, so that a firm interlock is obtained between cord and anchor member when the cord is disposed as indicated in FIGURES 4 and 5.

Into or over the outer free ends '73 and 74 of the tubes 11 and 12 any suitable knob '75 and 76 may be telescoped, to form an ornamental terminal for the rod and also for the purposes hereinafter indicated.

To install the traverse rod and mechanism of the present invention, the free rings are laced over the rod and the cord-operated lead-rings and the anchors and hangers thereof can be applied to the tubes (11 and 12) either from their inner ends (15 and 16), through which ends their anchors 21 and 22 may enter the slots 13 and 1 thereof, or they may be applied to the tubes (1]. and 12) from their outer ends before the knobs (7'5 and 76) are applied and before the rod is placed into its brackets (34 and 35), by having the anchors enter through the openings 19 and 24).

With the cord 23 looped around the terminal sheave 26, and with its two portions or spans 23-a and 23-h extending over the sheaves 27 and 28 and down through the opening 36, as indicated in FIGURES 6 and 7, and with the rings applied, in the manner indicated above, and with the inner ends of the tubes telescoped in relation to each other, and with the central tube-locking bracket 45 also preferably applied to the overlapped ends of the tubes, as indicated in FIGURES 1, 3 and 8, the anchors 21 and 22 are raised out through the openings 19 and 2t) and the cord adjusted in relation thereto, so that at the set length of the rod the hangers 62 and 63 will come together at the center, and will come to their outermost positions, in unison with each other; as one or the other of the pendant portions ZE-a and 23-12 of the cord 23 is pulled to its terminal position. When the cord-spaces 23-a and 23-12 have been so adjusted (and the rod secured in all brackets), the traverse rod is ready to receive the curtain or drapery in the manner indicated in FIGURE 2.

While in the drawings, the central tube-aligning and locking device is shown as a part of the central supporting bracket, the tube-embracing locking band 48, with its key 53 and extensions 49 and 46, may be provided without the bracket-forming arms 46 and 47 (if no central supporting bracket is needed).

While in the drawings the tubes 11 and 12 are shown as not being slotted throughout their entire length (that is, with their outermost ends not slitted), the tubes 11 and 12 may also be made of flat sheet-metal stock, by folding strips or bands of flat sheet-metal (of a width equal to the circumference of the desired tube, minus the width of the slot 13 or 14) into a tube-like formation with a gap between the edges of the strip constituting the slots 13 or 14. The wider anchorage access openings 19 and may be formed by cutting out (or stamping out on a punch press, or otherwise) the edges of the strip, to form the wider openings 19 and 20. The outer ends of such rolled tubes may be held to a fixed diameter (against expanding or collapsing) either by a (solid or tubular) plug inserted into outer ends of such tube and by telescoping the knobs (75 and 76) over the outer diameter of such outer ends, or by the sheave-supports (24 and and screws 32, or by any other suitable means.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate thescope of the invention.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A tubular drapery and curtain-suspending traverse mechanism, including a pair of thin-walled telescopable tubes whose thin wall extends around the entire outermost circumference thereof, each having a slit along its top extending from the telescoped end thereof to at least a point near the other end thereof to which the innermost marginal-zone of the drapery or curtain is to travel in its open position, the inner ends of said tubes being telescoped in relation to each other, with the slits thereof in registration with each other, a cord-guiding sheave secured within one of said tubes in the outer end-zone thereof, two cord-guiding sheaves secured within the other of said tubes in the outer end-zone thereof, a cordpassage opening in the wall of said last-mentioned tube in operative alignment with the sheaves therein, separate slit spacing and registering means in the telescoped zone of said tubes extending through the slit in each of the tubes, spacing the slits to a predetermined width and holding the slit of one tube in registration with the slit of the other tube, rings surrounding each of said tubes and resting directly and solely on said tubes, a cordanchorage rigidly secured to at least one of the innermost rings' on each tube and extending through said slit into the interior of the tube and having their cordengaging portions entirely within the tube, a cord extending over the first-mentioned sheave and having two spans thereof extending therefrom to and over the two sheaves in the other tube and downwardly therefrom through said opening in alignment therewith and having pendant operating portions extending downwardly therefrom, one of said cord-anchorages being secured to one of said cord-spans and the other cord-anchorage being secured to the other of said cord-spans, the combined width, in a direction transversely of the tube, of the cord-engaging portion of the cord-anchorage and the portion of the cord secured thereto, being substantially greater than the transverse width of the aforementioned slit.

2. A tubular drapery and curtain suspending traverse mechanism, including a pair of thin walled telescopable tubes whose thin wall extends around the entire outermost circumference thereof, each having a slit along its top extending from the telescoped end thereof to at least a point near the other end thereof to which the innermostmarginal-zone of the drapery or curtain is to travel in its,

open position, the inner ends of said tubes being telescoped in relation to each other, with the slits thereof in registration with each other, a cord-guiding sheave secured within one of said tubes in the outer end-zone theresaid tubes in the outer end-zone'thereof, a cord-passage opening in the Wall of said last-mentioned tube in operative alignment with the sheaves therein, a tube-fastening means embracing the telescoped zone of said tubes for holding them in telescoped relation to each other at the extent of telescoping overlap to which they may be set, slit spacing and registering means carried by said tubefastening means in the telescoped zone of said tubes and extending through the slit of each of the tubes, spacing the slits to a predetermined width and holding the slit of one tube in registration with the slit of the other tube, rings surrounding each of said tubes and resting directly and solely on said tubes, a cord-anchorage rigidly secured to at least one of the innermost rings on each tube and extending through said slit into the interior of the tube and having their cord-engaging portions entirely Within the tube, a cord extending over the first-mentioned sheave and having two spans thereof extending therefrom to and over the two sheaves in the other tube and downwardly therefrom through said opening in alignment therewith and having pendant operating portions extending downwardly therefrom, one of said cord-anchorages being secured to one of said cord-spans and the other cordanchorage being secured to the other of said cord-spans, the combined width, in a direction transversely of the tube, of the cord-engaging portion of the cord-anchorage and the portion of the cord secured thereto, being substantially greater than the transverse width of the afore mentioned slit.

3. A tubular drapery and curtain suspending traverse mechanism, including a pair of thin walled telescopable tubes whose 'thin wall extends around the entire outermost circumference thereof, each having a slit along its top extending from the telescoped end thereof to at least a point near the other end thereof to which the innermost marginal-zone of the drapery or curtain is to travel in its open position, the inner ends of said tubes being telescoped in relation to each other, with the slits thereof in registration with each other, a cord-anchorage opening in the top of each of said tubes formed in continuation of the aforementioned slit therein, but being wider than said slit, for permitting the hereinbelow-mentioned cordanchorages to be inserted into and retracted from their respective tubes with the cord secured thereto, a cordguiding sheave secured within one of said tubes in the outer end zone thereof, two cord-guiding sheaves secured within the other of said tubes in the outer end-zone thereof, a cord-passage opening in the wall of said last-mentioned tube in operative alignment with the sheaves therein, slit spacing and registering means in the telescoped zone of said tubes, spacing the slits to a predetermined Width and holding the slit of one tube in registration with the slit of the other tube, rings surrounding each of said tubes and resting directly and solely on said tubes, a cordanchorage rigidly secured to at least one of the innermost rings on each tube and extending through said slit into the interior of the tube and having their cord-engaging portions entirely within the tube and the combined Width,

in a direction transversely of the tube, of the cord-engaging portion of the cord anchorage and the portion of the cord secured thereto, being substantially greater than the transverse width of the aforementioned slit, a cord extending over the first-mentioned sheave and having two spans thereof extending therefrom to and over the two sheaves in the other tube and downwardly therefrom through said opening in alignment therewith and having pendant operating portions extending downwardly therefrom, one of said anchorages being secured to one of said cord-spans and the other anchorage being secured to the other of said cord-spans; the inner diameters of the anchorage-carrying rings being sufficiently greater than the outer diameters of said tubes that the anchorages can be raised out of the tubes through the aforementioned anchorage-openings while the ring (to which the anchorage is secured) surrounds the tube.

4. A traverse rod for draperies, curtains and the like including a thin-walled split tubular rod whose thin wall extends around the entire outermost circumference of the rod except at the gap therein which forms a longitudinal slot at the top of the rod, a sheave-block disposed within each end of said rod and retained in predetermined rela tion both in an axial and a radial direction by engagement with the inner wall of the tube, means interlocking directly with the wall of the tube fixing the position of each of said blocks in relation to the slot at the top of the tube, a cord-passageway in the bottom of the tube in vertical alignment with the double sheave-block, ringlilre carriers on said rod, resting directly and solely on said rod, onto which the drapery is adapted to be hung, and two inner drapery-end carriers, each comprising two rings surrounding the rod and resting directly and solely on the rod and spaced axially from each other and held in rigidly spaced relation to each other by a cord-engaging member within said rings and rigidly and permanently affixed thereto and extending downwardly from the top thereof through said slot into the tube and having its cord-engaging portion entirely Within the tube, and a lower drapery-hook-receiving member connecting the lower portions of said pair of rings in rigidly spaced relation to each other and having inner lead ends in ofi-set relation to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 297,627 Page et al. Apr. 29, 1884 509,650 Brodie Nov. 28, 1893 671,469 Cloud Apr. 9, 1901 1,060,426 Carlson Apr. 29, 1913 1,662,928 Kirsch Mar. 20, 1928 1,735,314 Duthie Nov. 12, 1929 1,878,526 Kenney et al. Sept. 20, 1932 2,062,579 Kirsch Dec. 1, 1936 2,707,994 Radke May 10, 1955 2,747,218 McMurray May 29, 1956 

1. A TUBULAR DRAPERY AND CURTAIN SUSPENDING TRAVERSE MECHANISM, INCLUDING A PAIR OF THIN-WALLED TELESCOPABLE TUBES WHOSE THIN WALL EXTENDS AROUND THE ENTIRE OUTERMOST CIRCUMFERENCE THEREOF, EACH HAVING A SLIT ALONG ITS TOP EXTENDING FROM THE TELESCOPED END THEREOF TO AT LEAST A POINT NEAR THE OTHER END THEREOF TO WHICH THE INNERMOST MARGINAL-ZONE OF THE DRAPERY OR CURTAIN IS TO TRAVEL IN ITS "OPEN" POSITION, THE INNER ENDS OF SAID TUBES BEING TELESCOPED IN RELATION TO EACH OTHER, WITH THE SLITS THEREOF IN REGISTRATION WITH EACH OTHER, A CORD-GUIDING SHEAVE SECURED WITHIN ONE OF SAID TUBES IN THE OUTER END-ZONE THEREOF, TWO CORD-GUIDING SHEAVES SECURED WITHIN THE OTHER OF SAID TUBES IN THE OUTER END-ZONE THEREOF, A CORDPASSAGE OPENING IN THE WALL OF SAID LAST-MENTIONED TUBE IN OPERATIVE ALIGNMENT WITH THE SHEAVES THEREIN, SEPARATE SLIT SPACING AND REGISTERING MEANS IN THE TELESCOPED ZONE OF SAID TUBES EXTENDING THROUGH THE SLIT IN EACH OF THE TUBES, SPACING THE SLITS TO A PREDETERMINED WIDTH AND HOLDING THE SLIT OF ONE TUBE IN REGISTRATION WITH THE SLIT OF THE OTHER TUBE, RINGS SURROUNDING EACH OF SAID TUBES 